Steam heating apparatus and fitting



FehB, 1931.

E. E.' GGL-D STEAK HEATING APPARATUS AND FITTING Filed Jun' 1. 1928 INVENTOR Patented Feb. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD E. GOLD, OF NEW YORK, N. VY., ASSIGVNOR TO GOLD GAR HEATING & LIGHTING COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, YORK, vA CORPORATION OF NEW YORK;

i STEAM-HEATING APPARATUS AND FITTING Application led June 1,

This invention relates to improvements in'v having a single return fitting to receive and discharge water of condensation from a plu-- Iality of steam radiators.

It is an object of the invention to pro` vde a heating system including a single iittin to receive the return connections from a p urality of radiators having independently controlled steam inlet connections, the iitting including means tending to prevent a flow of water vapor from a radiator to which steam is being` admittedinto a radiator in whichV the flow of steam has been cut oi by passing directly from the return connection` rof the former into the return connection of the lat# ter.

diators and without the use of traps or water seals by introducing baiiing means in lsuch manner as toprovide a circuitous passageA from one return connection to the other and disposing the entrance to the common oulet at an intermediate point of said passage so that there will be a more direct passage from either return connection to said outlet than from either return passage to the other return passage.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred and a modied form of the invention:

Figure 1 is a conventional representation of two steam radiatorsvhaving a fitting embodying the invention included in a common return connection.v v i Fig, 2 is a sectional view through a device commonly known as a vapor valve having the invention included as a part 'of the outlet for water of condensation.

Fig. 3 is a modified form of the portion of the valve illustrated in Fig. 2 in which the invention is embodied. v l In Fig. 1 the invention is illustrated aS applied to radiators adapted for use in the This is accomplished without the use' of valves in the return connections of the ra-v 1928. serial No. 282,132.

heating of railway cars, the radiators being connected with means whereby ,the admission of steam may be controlled in accordance with the well-known vapor system of steam heating.V

In the figure last referred to, which is a simple conventional diagram,120 and 21 represent two` steam Vradiators to whichV steam may be admitted from a train pipe 22 through an admission pipe 23 and branch connections 2li, 25. lSuch admissionVV of'steam may be controlled by a hand-operated valve 26 and anf automatic thermostatic valve 27 hereinafter more specifically described.

To provide for'the independent admission of steam to either radiator to the exclusion ofthe other, the radiator 20 is supplied with an Vindividual admission valve 28 and the radiator 21 lis supplied with an individual admission valve 29.

p Thezreturn connections 30, 31 from the radiators 20, 21 respectively are connected with a common outlet chamber 32iiorming part of the vapor valve structure which includes the thermostatic valve 27.

As clearly illustratedl in Fig. v2 the vapor valve mechanism, which includes the parts 27 and 32 of the device illustrated in Fig. 1, comprises a valve 33 adapted lto control t-he flow of steam through a portv 34 forming ya communication between the train pipe 22 and Ythefadmission pipe 23 as disclosed in Fig. 1.

The valve 33 is connected by means of a valve stem 35 with a thermostat 36 of any appropriate character7 by means of which it may be caused to open and close the port 34.

37, which may be in direct communication' with the outlet chamber 32 which receives and discharges the water of condensation from the radiators.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2 the outlet chamber 32 is adapted to receive return connections from two radiators. The water of condensation received from such connections may be discharged by a common outlet or drip horn 38 having an entrance at its upper end opening into the outlet chamber 32, the same being open at its lower end so as to discharge water of condensation to the atmosphere.

It is a purpose of the invention to connect the radiator returns and 3l with the outlet chamber 32 in such manner as to provide a more direct path from either return connection to the outlet 38 than from either return connection to the other. y

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2 this has been accomplished by causing the return connections to enter the outlet connection in a direction at right angles to each other and at right angles to the axis of the outlet 38, and by introducing a baiiie ci such character as to extend one return connection beyond the entrance to the outlet 38 so that vapor cannot flow fromV one return connection to the other without passing the entrance to the outlet. To this end the outlet chamber 32 is provided with threaded openings 39, 40 to receive the return connections. Such threaded openings nay be of suiiicient size to receive return connections of different diameters, depending upon the size of radiator to be accomf modated. The differencev in diameter between the return connections and the *opene ings 39, 40 may be adjusted by the use of bushings 41, 42, one of a diameter such'as to receive the return connection 30 and the other of a diameter such as to receive the nipple 43 with which the return connection 38 so that vapor may not flow from the re-k turn pipe 30 into the end of the extension 44 or from the end of the extension 44 into the return pipe 30 without passing over the entrance to the outlet 38.

In the modiiied form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3 the bafHe is indicated as comprising an extension 44 of a modied type of bushing 42 having a head 45 of any appropriate form to receive a tool by which it may be inserted in the threaded opening 40 of the outlet chamber 32. The bushing 4l may likewise be provided with a head 46 to facilitate its insertion in the threaded open-v ing 39. The bushings 41, 42 may be interlnally threaded and of diameters such as to receive the return connections 3() and 31 respectively.

When the valves 26, 28 and 29 of the heating device illustrated in Fig. 1 are open, steam may be admitted from the train pipe 22 to the radiators through admission pipe 23 and branches 24, 35. As soon as the radiators are lled with steam the heated vapors which escape from the return connections 30 and 31 into the outlet chamber 32 will suflicientlypheat the thermostat diaphragm 36 to close the valve 33 and prevent urther admission of steam. As soon as the temperature in the outlet chamber 32- falls below a predetermined temperature, the valve 33 will be again opened to admit steam until the heated vapors escaping from the return connections again cause the valve to he closed by the thermostat. This operation will continue, thus keeping the radiators filled with steam at a pressure only slightly exceeding atmospheric pressure.

Should it be desired to make use of one radiator only, as, for example, the radiator 20, the radiator 2 1 may be cut out of the system by closing valve 29. Under such circumstances it is important that the heated water vapor which escapes from the return connec tion 30 by which water is drained from radia-tor 20 should not make its Way through the return connection 31 into radiator 21 and thus cause said radiator to be heated. It has been found as a result of experiment that the use of a batlie, such as that illustrated at 44 in Fig. 2 and at 44 in Fig. 3, satisfactorily accomplishes the desired purpose without resorting to the use of traps or water seals. Such baie permits the water of condensation to be drained directly from the return connection 30 to the outlet chamber 32 and. discharged through the outlet 38 without permitting any appreciable amount of the heated water vapor to pass from the return connection 30 into radiator 2l through the outlet connecti-on 31. In like manner, if radiator 2O is cut out of the system by closing valve 28 while steam is admitted to radiator 21 by opening valve 29, water of condensation may be satisfactorily drained from the return connection 31 to the outlet chamber 32 and discharged through the outlet 38 without permitting any appreciable amount of heated water vapor to flow from outlet connection 31 t0 the radiator 2O through the outlet connection 30.

kIt will be apparent that the invention may be applied to more complicated vapor systems, such, for example, as those in which the admission of steam from train pipe 22 to the vapor valve 27-32 may be controlled by ther,- mostatic means. It is also adapted for use in steam-heating plants in general, including those in which the admission of steam is controlled entirely by hand-operated valves or by thermostatically-operated valves. Its general purpose is to provide forV the discharge lac of water of condensation from a plurality of radiators through a common outlet even though the radiators be provided with independently controlled admission valves.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the specific forms herein selected for purposes of illustration but should be regarded as covering modifications and variations thereof within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A radiator. return fitting having inlet openings to receive return pipe connections from two steam radiators, a single downwardly directed discharge outlet, and a horizontally disposed tubular baiiie connected at one end with one of said inlet openings and having its other end extended beyond said discharge outlet and beyond the other inlet opening, said inlet openings, discharge outlet and tubular baffle being so disposed as' to provide a tortuous passage from either inlet opening to the other from which the discharge outlet opens at an intermediate point, whereby water of condensation may freely flow from either inlet opening directly to the discharge opening.

2. A radiator return fitting having a singleV downwardly directed discharge outlet,"inlet openings to receive the returnl pipes from two steam radiators, and a bale, the axes of said inlet openings being disposed horizontally and at approximately right angles with respect to each other and with respect to the axis of said discharge outlet,A and said bailie comprising a tubular structure extending from one of said inlet openings to a point beyond the discharge outlet and beyond the other inlet opening.

3. The combination, with a plurality of steam radiators having a common admission valve and individual admission valves whereby each radiator may be independently subjected to the control of said commonadmission valve, of a radiator return fitting having a single receiving chamber to receive water of condensation therefrom, a single discharge outlet, a plurality of inlet openings communieating directly with said chamber to receive the return pipes from said radiators, a thermomotive Vdevice to control the common admission valve in accordance with the temperature of vapor admitted to said return fitting through said inlet openings, and a battle to prevent a flow of vapor from inlet to inlet without passing through a tortuous path hav'- ing the entrance to said discharge outlet at an intermediate point.

4. A radiator return tting having a single receiving chamber for steam and water of condensation, a single discharge outlet leading directly therefrom, a plurality of inlet openings communicating 'directly therewith to receive return pipes from a plurality of my name.

EDWARD E. GOLD. 

